West Ham are pushing ahead with a move for Paris Saint-Germain defender Thilo Kehrer after David Moyes revealed that Issa Diop “didn’t put himself forward to play” in Sunday’s Premier League opener against Manchester City.
The Irons were without Craig Dawson, Angelo Ogbonna and £28million summer signing Nayef Aguerd for the game at the London Stadium because of various fitness issues, but Diop, who is not injured, neglected to make himself available amid speculation over his future.
That left Kurt Zouma as Moyes’ only available senior centre-back, meaning 22-year-old full-back Ben Johnson was called on to fill in as Erling Haaland marked his League debut with a brace in the champions’ 2-0 win.
After missing out on Wolves captain Conor Coady, who is set to join Everton, Kehrer is now the Irons’ No1 defensive target, though the club face competition from Spanish side Sevilla. The German international is primarily a centre-back but can also play in both full-back positions.
Diop has asked to leave West Ham, having effectively become fifth-choice following Aguerd’s arrival, and is a target for Fulham, with the newly-promoted side now having seen a £15m offer accepted.
Aguerd is set to miss the first 10 weeks of the new campaign after undergoing surgery on a pre-season ankle injury, while Ogbonna has been back in action for the Under-23s but is still at least three weeks away from a first-team return. There is hope, however, that Dawson may be fit for the trip to Nottingham Forest next weekend.
